Name it in three
February 21st, 2009 by Malcolm
Some people can name a novel in three words.
Some people can name a song in three notes.
Vanessa can name a 1950s social housing estate in three seconds of a Pet Shop Boys video.
What can you name in three?
Vanessa says: before I saw the light and set up a publishing company I was working towards a PhD at Birmingham University considering issues of diversity of tenure and neighbourhood cohesion – what I don’t know about post-war council housing isn’t worth knowing! And I’m a big fan of some early ’50s architecture… I’ll stop now shall I? But it explains why certain estates, glimpsed in the early shots in a pop video, when one is watching rubbish music tv and gossiping to one’s other half over a glass of three of Sauv Blanc, are instantly recognisable. Sometimes I wish I’d finished the PhD, if only because then Malc and I could sign ourselves Dr Robertson2.
But as, Malcolm was saying, what can you name in three?
I can name the world’s most important phrase
in three Blissymbols – “I love you”.
Songs, especially sixties pop. But with me it’s nano-seconds rather than seconds. Kathy Kirby? Twinkle? The Shangri-Las? I have them in my geeky embrace the moment the needle hits the groove.
I don’t know why this is, quite. It’s not as though I practice, and nowadays I’m far more likely to be listening to Bill Evans than the Flowerpot Men. But the damn stuff just won’t go away. I’m not a bad guy to have around on sixties quiz nights.